


Book One: Creation

by Kiss_Kiss_fallinblood



Series: Avatar: The Tales of the Ladybug [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akumas are still a thing, Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Alternate Universe - No Miraculous, Anxiety, Bending, F/M, Friendship, Government Conspiracy, Jealous Adrien Agreste, Master Fu was the last avatar, References to Depression, Slight Violence, Spirits, building confidence, earthbender Adrien, firebender Alya, firebender Marinette, references to the Avatar series, spirit world is still open, totalitarian government
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-01-06 16:46:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18392363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiss_Kiss_fallinblood/pseuds/Kiss_Kiss_fallinblood
Summary: Marinette is just an ordinary girl, who up to age 16, has lived an entirely normal life. That's until she is announced to be the Avatar. The world needs her in this time of chaos. Republic City is in shambles and needs it's Avatar to help overthrow the totalitarian government. She can't even firebend well, so who's to say she can master all of the elements and save the world? Can Marinette Dupain-Cheng fulfill her destiny and manage being a teenager at the same time?





	1. The New Avatar

      “Do I really have to come to the Avatar announcement? We all know that I’m a bit too clumsy to really be of help.”  
      “Nonsense, Marinette! It’ll be fun. You should be excited! The Avatar has been growing up in our community, you may even know who it is.” Tom was loading the assorted macaroons into the catering van.  
      “Plus, Adrien will be there.” Sabine chimed in, and without even seeing her mothers face she knew that she was smirking.  
      Marinette hated that this tactic worked, but it really did. You’d think after two years of not talking (although this was not by Marinette’s choice), that she’d get over the silly crush.  
      “So it’s final, you’re going.” Tom declared, turning around to put the eclairs in the van. “I’d get out of those pajamas. You don’t want Adrien or spirits forbid the Avatar to see you in your fuzzy pants."  
      Marinette was red as she turned around to go and get ready.  
 _If the Avatar was nearby, it was probably Alya. She was a great firebender, and everything seemed to come so easy to her._  
 _If Alya was, in fact, the Avatar, would that mean that I could go on the journey of the four elements with her? Or would Alya suddenly have a ton of cool, talented, and special friends? What if-?_  
      “Marinette, are you almost ready we’re going to be late!” Sabine yelled from downstairs in the bakery.  
      The raven-haired girl threw on one of her older dresses. It was a light pink, went just past the knees, and had nice black accents. It wasn’t her favorite outfit, but it would work. She threw in some pigtails and heels, then went down.

      “I’m still sad about Avatar Fu,” Tom spoke to Sabine while driving. He glanced in the rearview mirror to his daughter, dozing off. “You know Marinette,” She looked up “Avatar Fu taught me earthbending. After school, I’d go and deliver him bread and other sweets. In return, he taught me Earthbending.”  
      “What if it’s one of my friends?” Marinette asked nervously. “What if it’s Alya? What if she doesn’t want me to-”  
      “I guarantee that your friends will not abandon you, even if they are the Avatar.”  
      “How do you know?” She looked down at her hands.  
      “I’m not supposed to tell you this-”  
      “Tom, don’t.”  
      “I know who the Avatar is.”  
      “How do you know?”  
      “Tom, you cannot tell her who it is.”  
      “I’m not going to. But Marinette just know, that no one is abandoning you.”  
Although Marinette would rather have known who it was, she still felt a little bit better.

      It was only another minute before they arrived at the event. She helped her parents unload the van, that’s when she noticed a whole crew waiting.  
      “Marinette, we have people to wait for the event, so go on inside. It’s going to start soon.”  
      She ran in, confused about where to go. “Marinette over here!” The girl in question looked to her left to see Alya, in a nice orange gown. She walked over to her, sitting with her family. “Almost late to one of the greatest events in our whole lives, nice.”  
      “It’s who I am.” She laughed.  
      “So where're the parents?”  
      “Catering in the back. Didn’t want my help.”  
      “Rude.”  
      “I know right. But at least I can sit with you. And watch you become the Avatar.” Marinette was being dramatic, flopping over on top of her friend.  
      “Homegirl, I’m most certainly not the Avatar.”  
      “What do you mean? How are you so sure?”  
      “The Avatar is announced at age 16. I’m still 15. Did you not pay any attention to the Avatar history lessons?" _So it’s not Alya then-_  
      “Thank you for all making it here tonight.” A loud booming voice erupted from the speakers. Everyone turned their attention to the front, where a few notable members of the white lotus stood. “Tonight is about the beginning of a new era. The first fire avatar since Roku, and the one hundred year war. 357 years since Roku’s death, 245 years since the end of the war, we are pleased to announce the next Avatar.”  
The room went silent, Marinette saw her family in the corner of the room. The silence fell, and Marinette wished that moment lasted longer. Another moment to pick out who it was going to be. But that’s not how the world works. Time is an inconvenient factor. It never does what you want or need it to.  
      “Everyone please welcome Avatar Marinette!”  
      _Fuck._


	2. Tikki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is coming to terms with being the Avatar. Two friends will be coming with her to Republic City.

Marinette’s heart dropped into her stomach. Everyone began to clap. Everything was moving quickly now. She realized she was walking up, for everyone to look at the new Avatar. Everyone was staring. Once she got up to the front, next to the white lotus, the members began to bow down.  
Once they started to bow down, so did everyone else. The White Lotus was the most elite group in the world, a few of the most notable members currently being; Firelord Kanshi, President Ju of the Earth States, Anatoral the elected Chief of the Southern Water Tribe. Everyone began to line up to meet the new Avatar.  
“Avatar Marinette,” A tall woman in traditional Fire Nation robes spoke in a powerful yet soft manner. “I am pleased to meet you again.” She rose up, being at least one foot taller than Marinette.  
“Firelord Kanshi,” Marinette looked down to the ground. “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but I’m not the Avatar.”  
“You are the Avatar, and I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.”  
“I can barely bend fire, let alone the other elements.”  
“We met when you were really little. Twelve years ago, the white lotus was looking for the next Avatar. We visited your home, we knew it was you.”  
“Firelord Kanshi, is it possible you made a mistake? No offense to your judgment, but I’m just boring old Marinette.”  
“No, no Marinette. I know you’re the avatar, you just need to realize it yourself. Your training will start next week.” Firelord Kanshi turned away, to face the ecstatic crowd, “The Avatar will soon head to Republic City to train and master all of the elements.”  
Marinette was mortified. Were her parents also coming? What about school? Her friends?  
“I see your concern Marinette. But I promise that you’ll enjoy Republic City.” President Ju sneaked up on her, “There you will have a tutor so you can continue your schooling. Your parents are welcome to visit with two weeks notice-”  
“Two weeks, that’s a big notice.”  
“Republic City has been dealing with many immigration issues. The United Republic has been combatting many illegals.”  
“Oh…” Marinette didn’t want to mention how little she knew of Republic City. The school systems just said that “it’s a haven for all benders and all people”, “Avatar Aang created the city as a way to unite the world”, “Korra lived the majority of her life there”, and “Fu did not live there” etc.  
“Marinette!” Alya ran up to her, wrapping her in a tight hug. “You’re the Avatar! Who would’ve guessed?”  
“Well, most certainly not me.” She replied sadly. “I have to leave to go to Republic city and train.”  
“Yes, I suppose you do.”  
“That means I won’t see you often.”  
“That’s very bold of you to assume that I’m going to let you get away from me that easy.”  
“You have to have two weeks notice to go in-”  
“I know that you dingus.” She snarked, pushing her glasses back up. “Do you remember our History lessons.”  
“I remember falling asleep in them.”  
“Well, Avatar Korra suggested to all the nations the Avatar Clause.”  
“Isn’t that the one where the Avatar is allowed to excuse people to join them?”  
“Yes, exactly right. Five students of your choosing are to come along with you if they agree that is. But it’s between the Avatar and the individual.”  
“Oh, Alya you genius. Will you come along with me?”  
Alya bowed to the Avatar. “Of course Avatar Marinette.”  
“You smartass. Don’t call me that again.”  
“If you say so.”  
“Avatar Marinette, there are some people waiting to speak with you,”  
“I’ll go tell my parents, have fun with all of this.” Alya waved her arms to gesture to the crowd of people waiting to get a selfie with Marinette.  
Marinette sighed and turned to the line to see her celebrity crush: Adrien Agreste. As he bowed to her, she thought about how much cuter he is in real life. His golden hair was much more natural, and it looked so soft.  
“I’m Adrien Agreste, It’s a pleasure to meet you Avatar Marinette.” He kissed her hand, and at this point, this was all that was going through the girl’s head: HolyShitHolyShitHolyShitHolyShitHolyShitHolyShitHoly-.  
“I’ve seen you in those Agreste Fashion ads.”  
“Yeah, my dad is Gabriel Agreste the fashion designer.” He glanced back to the line where a woman stood holding a tablet where he seems to be video calling from.  
“Thank you for coming today.” Marinette was losing her train of thought.  
“I came here to tell you that we’ll be schooling together in Republic City along with a few other kids who aren’t in public school.”  
“I can’t wait.”  
“Neither can I,”  
“Adrien we have to get going.” a tall woman spoke directly behind him.  
“Sorry to cut this short, but I need to get going. If you ever need help with Earthbending I’d be glad to practice with you.” He smiled brighter than the sun before walking away. 

The rest of the line was mostly just people asking for pictures and opinions on things she knew nothing about. After about twenty minutes of handshaking, kissing babies, and loathing her life, she was done. Her parents were the last people in line.  
“Sorry for not telling you, darling,” Tom spoke softly. Marinette began to cry, her parents hugged her. It was a good thing everyone had moved on to the Dupain-Cheng baked goods because she fully broke down.  
“You okay, pumpkin?” Sabine asked softly, stroking her cheek.  
“I’m just going to miss you.”  
“We’ll miss you too. My home town needs your help, Marinette. The sooner you train the better.”  
“What do you mean mom?”  
“Republic city is under lockdown. President Bourgeois is not a man who should be leading. I know that you can help the people.”  
“But isn’t Republic City supposed to be a haven? The city of the Avatar?”  
“It was. Not anymore.”  
“I don’t understand.”  
“You have family just east of Korra’s park. Your grandmother will be waiting.”  
“Okay?” Marinette was completely confused, but just decided she’d ask later.  
“Everyone, could we get your attention please,” President Ju spoke up, standing just to the left of Marinette. “It’s time for the Avatar to bond with her animal guide.” The crowd that was just a moment ago chattering away was now silent. Marinette was even more confused than before. Bonding with the animal guide? What the hell does this mean?  
The raven-haired girl looked behind her to see a curtain that she hadn’t previously notice lift up. There three animals stood. A baby dragon, a crane chick, and a lynx of some sort.  
“Each of these animals was born just last month. The high-tailed dragon, on Roku’s island. The Magma Crane was bred in Ba Sing Se. And the Ladybird Lynx, from the Great Divide. Close your eyes and say the name that speaks to you.”  
“Sorry, I’m kind of new to this, but like-” She looked down awkwardly “Do you want me to say which one?”  
President Ju just gave her an unimpressed look. “No, you say the name of your animal guide.” This was the most confusing thing. Marinette was perplexed, but she didn’t know how any of this works.  
Marinette closed her eyes. She tried to tune in to her spiritual energy but was really struggling because she didn’t know what that even meant. She could hear the crowd murmuring. It became louder. And louder. And so loud she had to hold her hands against her ears, but then it all stopped.  
“Tikki!” She gasped in for air not knowing what had happened, or why her ears were ringing. Tikki. What did that mean? Was that the name of her animal guide? Before Marinette could try and say it again, the ladybird lynx walked to the girl, purring as she rubbed her pinkish head against Mari’s leg. “Oh hey there, you must be Tikki.”  
Tikki was a small floofy cat. She had black spots, like a ladybug. She had reddish-pink fur, like nothing she’d ever seen before.  
Marinette was tired. She wanted to go home. Pretend she wasn’t leaving. At least she didn’t have to talk in front of people anymore.  
“Don’t get used to her being this small. She’s going to get big.” Kanshi remarked to Marinette.  
“How big?” She asked nervously.  
“Anywhere from two to four meters, double that long. Weighs about a ton at adulthood. She can run up to 80 kilometers an hour.”  
“Damn.”  
“Damn is right.”  
“Marinette!” A red-headed girl ran up to her excitedly. “My parents agreed! We’re going to go on an adventure to Republic City together!” Marinette was happy about this, but she was painfully embarrassed, as the Firelord was talking to her. “Did I interrupt any Avatar stuff?”  
“Uhh-”  
“No, not at all. Is this one of your companions, Marinette?”  
“Yes, this is Alya. An excellent firebender. She’s coming with me to Republic city.”  
“Oh I’m not that good-”  
“She can bend and redirect lightning.”  
“Impressive, Miss…?”  
“Cesaire.”  
“Well, Miss Cesaire. I’m sure you’ll make an excellent teacher to the Avatar. I’ll let your school coordinator know that you will be joining as well. ”  
“Yeah- wait hold on. Teaching Marinette firebending? Isn’t there more qualified people out there?”  
“There are more qualified people, sure, but I think you and Marinette will find that having someone you know and trust train you will be much more beneficial. Avatar Fu was trained amongst some of the most qualified people on the planet, but he had no connection with it, and later dealt with his faulty spiritual connections as a result. Avatar Korra had no choice who she trained with and where, and as a result did great on the two elements she trusted most: air and water. She was closest with her mentors Katara and Tenzin. Before her Aang trained with his best friends, and mastered all of the elements in under a year.”  
“Marinette, I’m down to be your teacher, but I need you to be honest and tell me if that’s what you want.”  
“Of course, Alya.” Mari smiled softly. All those days that she practiced baking, hoping she’d be able to master it to take over the bakery one day, feeling like something was missing were over. She was never going to have to frost another cupcake in her life. Not only that, but she’s going to the Avatar’s city to train with her best friend. Marinette’s days of feeling like her life was heading nowhere were over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thank you for returning for chapter two. This is going to be the publishing schedule for now, it may be updated as we go: every Wednesday and Sunday. I've planned and written almost everything for this fic. You may also note that there is going to be 24 chapters after this. Worry not, this is just the beginning for Marinette and her friends. There is going to be three other parts to this, with a few little tangent fics. Leave comments!
> 
> Also, the other chapters will be longer than the last two, I promise.  
> Thanks,  
> Eve


	3. One Short Day At Republic City Part One of Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette goes to school and learns about what really happens in Republic City. The city needs its Avatar and in its absence has created another ally: Chat Noir.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for waiting! I want to do a schedule, I really do, but right now I'm in medical hell. I've been sick for like a month, doing all my sleep study prep appointments, dealing with Narcolepsy, coming off my anti-depressants, and family drama. So I'm really sorry. I've had it ready for quite a while, but no time to edit and post. But today's the day! I wanted this whole first day to be in one chapter, but it would've been around another month before I could post it. Again, I just want to say thanks for not killing or abandoning me.

            The next week went by lightning fast. She went to school on Monday to be crowded by everyone. Marinette didn’t know what to say to them ‘yes I am indeed the Avatar’, ‘no I cannot bend all four elements’, and ‘no I do not know anything about the spirit world that you don’t’. Her parents were all over her the whole week as well, taking more breaks from the bakery to be with her. Not that Marinette minded, no in fact the opposite was true. This was going to be a big change for her: living in an apartment with her best friend, going to a new school, plus all of the training that Marinette had neglected to do earlier.

            That was the truly funny thing about her being the Avatar, she did not really care about bending. Yes it is cool that fire can come out of my hands, she’d often say to people, but is that going to help me in school? No. Often she thought that she was just making excuses for herself as she wasn’t very good at firebending, unlike Alya who could control lightning with her fingers (a feat some of the most experienced firebenders struggle with).

            But now, Marinette had no excuse. She had to get good. It was literally her job. Although a part of her still doubted her Avatar Powers. As Marinette packed her bags, one backpack and one small suitcase, she realized nothing was really going to be the same. Everywhere she went she’d be the Avatar. But she liked being Marinette. The Avatar was an all powerful bender who’s super serious, Marinette was, in her mind, not that.

            “Marinette, I hope you’re done packing,” Sabine yelled from downstairs “Because we made your favorite: crab cheese wontons!” Marinette was not done packing. But nothing was going to stop her from getting her mom’s wontons. She put down the shirt she didn’t even realize she was holding onto and hopped up onto her feet.

            “Coming!” She practically flew down the stairs to the kitchen. Her mother and father were already sat down, waiting for her.

            Marinette practically inhaled her food, barely taking time to appreciate her mom’s cooking for the last time.

            “Since this is our last night together,” Sabine spoke softly, pulling a small box out and onto the table. “I thought I’d make it special for you.” She smiled and glanced to her husband who was beaming. She slid the box to the girl. “Open it.”

            Marinette looked at the small black box, it had some beautiful red swirls painted on. She opened the box gently, to find her mother’s pair of pearl earrings.

            “Mom…” As she spoke her voice wavered slightly.

            “It’s a family heirloom. I thought it was time I passed them down to you.”

            “They’re beautiful.” Her eyes watered.

            “Just wait until you put them on,” She urged her daughter.

            Marinette put the earrings in, and quickly stood up and walked to her mother to give her a hug.

            “Thank you, mom.” She hugged just a bit tighter, before letting go.

            “We’re going to miss you little lady,” Her dad stood up and joined the hug. Marinette cried, just a little, tears of happiness and sadness. She was going to miss this. “But you better get to bed if you’re going to catch the morning train.” He wiped his daughter’s and his wife’s tears off their cheeks.

 

-

 

            As Marinette laid in bed, she thought about how maybe it wasn’t too late to turn back. In this day and age, did the world actually need an Avatar? Did the world really need Marinette? She fell asleep slowly, but once she did it was nothing good. “Akuma, it is time…” A mysterious voice spoke in the dark.

            _“Drag the little bug and her damn cat in.” Waterbending. Dark Spirit emerging from the ground. “Infect. Destroy. Evilize.”_

_A man running on a rooftop. Cat Ears. Loud crashing._

_“Nobody threatens !” A younger man’s voice yells._

_“Be careful!” She yelled, and her environment shifted to a classroom._

_“Miss Dupain-Cheng, I’d be careful about what you say about the President,” A young girl’s voice erupted amongst the chaos of the dream. “There are ears everywhere.”_

_“Marinette help me please!” Alya’s voice screamed as all she could see was a blur of red and black fur._

_“You will be the last Avatar, and people will rejoice when you fall at my feet.” The first voice interrupted. “I will take everything and everyone you love and destroy it,” He laughed “Then and only then I will grant you the mercy of death.”_

 

            Marinette bolted up in bed. She was covered in sweat, tears were rolling down her face. The nightmare was so vague, yet it felt so real. Like she was fighting? But it was in fragments, none of which made sense together, or really on their own. Marinette glanced at her alarm clock next to her, it was four thirty three in the morning. Tikki jumped onto the bed, demanding to be pet.

            “It was just a dream. Right, Tikki?” Tikki of course did not answer, but she did purr. That may have been because Marinette was scratching behind her ears though.

            Marinette had not been planning on going back to sleep. She didn’t want to have another nightmare. But as her alarm for six in the morning rang, it became evident that she had fallen asleep again.

            “Marinette!” Sabine yelled from downstairs. “You’re going to miss the train if you don’t get up!” The girl yawned and rolled over in bed. But Tikki, being the absolute genius she is, started meowing aggressively, it was time for breakfast and as any cat owner knows- cats don’t forget about anything that relates to food.

            “Fine. Let me get ready, and we’ll go downstairs to eat.” Marinette quickly hopped in the lukewarm shower. She usually showered hot, but she needed to wake up. Once she hopped out she put on some jeans, a Britney Spears T-shirt, her signature pigtails, and her new earrings. Tikki ran down the stairs to greet Tom and Sabine, and Marinette came down soon after.

            “Morning little lady,” Tom spoke, as she pulled out a chair at the table to sit down.

            “I don’t know who thought it was a good idea to get up so early.” Tom laughed at his daughter, pouring her a cup of coffee. Her mom plated the Quiche and threw some ham for Tikki.

            “Well, you do have a big day.” She sat down with her family, sipping on her tea. “Remember your itinerary?”

            “Train at eight. School at nine. Lunch at noon. Train at four. Official Avatar Dinner, trademark, at seven..”

            “I don’t know why you said trademark, but okay.” Tom laughed

            “Did you mean weird flex, but okay.”

            “What does this mean?”

 

            At the train station, Alya and her family were already there.

            “You ready for the journey of a lifetime?”

            “You already know I am.” The train arrived shortly, and after a few more goodbye’s they were off.

 

            The train ride was mostly uneventful. They passed a lot of farms. Marinette brought her thermos of coffee to make up for the lack of restful sleep last night. She knew it was just a dream. But this one stuck with her. She kept on thinking about what she saw. The boy- the one who looked right out of the movers- he was dressed like a BDSM cat dude. It would’ve been humorous if everything else wasn’t bad in the dream. The weird thing about him wasn’t his cat suit, although it was weird, it was his face. It looked familiar.

            “Earth to Marinette,” Alya waved her hand in front of her face.

            “Oh sorry, zoning out.”

            “I know. You look like you didn’t sleep. Are you nervous to be at the same school as your celebrity crush?” She jabbed at Marinette.

            “To be honest, I’ve mostly forgotten about that. I just had a weird dream last night. It felt so real.”

            “What a coincidence, so did I.”

            “You did? What was it about?”

            “It was how your mom’s wontons attacked the Earth,” Alya spoke with a straight face.

            “Stop fucking with me, Alya” She elbowed the taller girl. “You were in danger in my dream. Someone was so keen on eliminating everyone I love and then killing me.” Marinette looked down solemnly. “There was a teenage girl threatening me too, but that was mostly just annoying more than anything,” She chuckled. “But the weirdest part was this cat dude. He wore a leather catsuit.” Alya began wiggling her eyebrows. “It wasn’t like that type of dream, plus I'm not a furry.” She sighed looking out the window. “It felt like I knew him. His face was so familiar.”

            “Sounds fun.” She spoke with a playful tone, “I didn’t know you were into furries.” Alya laughed.

            “I will throw you out of this train if you mention the furry again. Plus I already said, not into furries. Period.”

            “You know you love me.” She smirked.

            Marinette looked at her deadpan, “I’d sell you for a single corn chip.”

            “Sure, that’s why you invited me to live with you.” “Shut up, I was making a point.” As the girls exited the train, they looked for a sign that would have their names. A woman named Nathalie was supposed to pick them up. It wasn’t long until they found her. She was holding a sign that said ‘Avatar and Friend’. Alya was holding back laughter, and Marinette was holding back tears. So much for being on the down low. Luckily they were able to walk over to the woman without making any trouble, even with a giant red cat following them. 

            “Thanks for the ride.” Marinette thanked the woman who shut their door and went to the passenger seat.

            “My pleasure. I’m Nathalie, Gabriel Agreste’s personal assistant. The Agreste fashion company is so glad to have you in your city.” Those words made Marinette wonder about all of the adventures she'd have there. This was Korra's city, and Fu wanted nothing to do with it. But this was her chance to reclaim _her_ city.

            The woman glanced at them through a mirror. “We will be taking you to school and while you are there your apartment is being set up for the two of you.”

            “That’s very nice of you. Thank you, Nathalie.” She thanked.

            “Ivan. Get the car cleaned after this. And I’ll call the groomer for Tikki.” Marinette had not noticed how much Tikki was shedding all over the black leather seats- the leather was familiar.

            “Sorry about this, she’s growing rather quickly. She started the size of a teapot, but now she’s the size of a body pillow.”

            “Do not worry about it.” Ivan grumbled but smiled into the mirror. Marinette thought this was odd, how could someone sound upset, but smile? This thought, of course, was pushed to the back of her mind as the car abruptly stopped. How close was the school from the station? How fast was Ivan driving? Ivan quickly parked and ran to the car door and opened it for Alya and her. The two girls got out, grabbing their backpacks and leaving their suitcases. Nathalie rolled down the window.

            “Class has already started, but if you go to the office they’ll help you out. Since you both have phones, which have maps, I’ll give you the address. It’s just two blocks south. We’ll pick you up for dinner at 5:45.” The window rolled up and drove away.

            They turned to the school a sign read Dubois Tiancai School. They walked up to the few stairs to the main entrance. Which was surrounded with tea flowers, one of which Marinette recognized as the White Jade Bush. As they entered the school, they saw three kids waiting right inside. They were wearing navy blue uniforms, with red ties and pins. Each of them having a different one. On the left was a girl with maroon hair, who was roughly the same height as Marinette, wearing a pin with the fire element symbol on it. In the middle was Adrien Agreste with a nervous smile, his pin being an earth symbol. And on the right was a tall boy with big glasses, and a water symbol.

            “You must be Marinette and Alya.” The girl on the left spoke. “I’m Lila Rossi. In the middle is Adrien Agreste, but you already know that.” Adrien and on the right is Nino Lahiffe. We will be your student advisors.”

            Nino quickly spoke up. “I don’t want to be that guy, but it is so cool to meet you, Avatar Marinette!” He grabbed Alya’s hand and shook.

            “Sorry, Nino is it?” Nino nodded, his face was red. “But I’m not the Avatar, that’d be this girl over here.” He became even redder.

            “I’m so sorry. I’m just so excited to meet you. I’m a big fan of bending and all that Avatar stuff...” He began to shake her hand.

            “It’s okay, most people are surprised when they meet me.”

            “Anyway…” Lila interrupted, frowning at Nino. “Let’s go to the office to pick up your uniform and books.” The brunette turned around and began walking.

            “She’s fun…” Alya whispered as they began to follow her.

            “Yeah, once you get to know her she’s nicer though.” The group walked to the office following Lila.

            “Hello, Ms. Ginivera!” Adrien greeted as they walked into the office. An older woman, probably in her early 60’s, sat writing things down in her notepad.

            “Hello Mr. Agreste,” she looked up to see all of the kids waiting at the desk. “You must be the new transfers. Let me get you your materials.” She got off of her swivel chair and walked into a back room, but quickly came back. “Miss Dupain-Cheng,” she held out a uniform in her hands “Your name sounds familiar, what are your parents' professions.” Marinette grabbed the uniform.

            “My parents are bakers.” She eyed the blue uniform, avoiding eye contact. She didn't want to be known as the avatar at the school, she wanted to have a normal education without her reputation interfering.

            “I'm probably just thinking of someone else. Sorry, dear.” The woman held another uniform or to Alya. “And Miss Cesair.”

            “Thank you, ma’am.” Alya smiled.

            “Okay, so the bathrooms are just around the corner.” Adrien spoke, seemingly nervous. “But these ones are singles so it’s a one at a time ordeal.” He rubbed the back of his neck avoiding eye contact with anyone.

            “You go first Marinette, I want to see it on you first to see if it looks good.” Alya pushed the small girl around the corner away from the group. Marinette, at this point in her friendship with Alya, had known to never question her tactics. After Mari shut the door to the bathroom, Alya walked back to the group.

             “So tell me, Adrien is it?” He nodded. “Do you know who’s going to help us catch up with school work?” Lila rolled her eyes for no apparent reason.

            “That’d be me.” “Who is supposed to ‘escort’ us to the dojo later today?” She emphasized her point with finger quotes. He laughed.

            “Also me. I already train there four days a week.”

            “Okay, but my real question. Is there a reason why it’s you? I mean no offense, of course.”

            “No no, it’s cool Alya. This is mostly for today because my dad is holding the Avatar gala thingy.”

            “But then afterward…?”

            “You won’t be required to talk to me.”

            “No I didn’t mean that, I-I just…” Alya sighed and pushed the hair out of her face. “I’m just not used to being watched all the time. I don't need to be escorted places, something doesn’t feel right.”

            “Well, you’re right. Something isn’t right.” Nino spoke up.

            “What?”

            “Well everywhere is monitored by the police. Spirits and humans here don’t get along like we used to. The mayor is ignoring the issue and throwing anyone in jail who says otherwise.”

            “Nino-”

            “Adrien, everyone knows it. This is one of the few non-monitored areas. It’s only non-monitored because these are the kids who benefit from silence.”

            “Wait, monitoring? Like wiretaps?”

            “Not like wiretaps. Just wiretaps. You don’t critique Andre Bourgeois. Even though he’s the president, no one is able to go against him. Or else they mysteriously disappear.” Nino wiggled his fingers like this was a scary ghost story. It was scary, but everyone knew where they went.

            “I agree with you, but this is not the place.”

            “This is the only place. The only one who’s been able to speak out against him and not die is the rebel Chat Noir.”

            “Who’s Chat Noir?” Marinette spoke up making everyone in the group jump except for Lila who knew she was here for the last bit, but was busy playing on her phone.

            “Marinette, we talked about you doing this.”

             “Doing what? Asking questions?” She smirked proudly.

            “You know what you’re doing. But for now I’m gonna put on this uniform, that will most certainly not look as good on me as it does on you.”

            “So,” Marinette looked at Adrien and Nino. “Who’s this Chat Noir guy?”

 

            It was not long before the school tour was done. Marinette loved the garden and sewing room; while Alya loved the eight training rooms (two for each element). They walked into the class to meet Ms. Bustier.

            “Alright students, as I told you last week, we have two new students arriving today. Please meet Alya and Marinette!” Students clapped which was quite odd as Alya had been to a number of schools and none of them clap for new students.

            “Let’s start with Alya, please tell us a few things about yourself.”

            “Well my name is Alya Renee Cesaire, I was born in the Firelord’s castle since my mom was his head chef for many years. I have three sisters, two of them are twins, and I’m a middle child. I’m a Gemini who according to my aunt should be looking for an Aquarius. I’m also probably the best firebender of our age.”

            “Does anyone have questions for Miss Cesaire?” She smiled nervously. Several kids rose their hands but the one who got chosen was a boy who had to be at least 6’ 5”.

            “Yes, Ivan?”

            “Aren’t you the Avatar or something? My dad said the Avatar would be at our school.”

            “Sorry to disappoint you Ivan, but no. I’m not the Avatar.” Every hand went down.

            “Thank you, Miss Cesaire, we put you in that second bench to the right.” Alya walked over and put her stuff down looking at Marinette disappointingly. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Your turn.” Marinette gulped. She hated talking about herself.

            “Okay, hi everyone. I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng, but you can call me Marinette or Mari if you’d like. My parents are bakers on the southern outskirts of Ba Sing Se, where I was born and raised. Like Alya, I’m a firebender, but I’m not very good. And while I’m up here I’m just going to be straight-forward with you,” At this moment she really considered telling them that she was the Avatar, but she truly did want to make friends. “I’m not really adjusted to Republic City life and could use some help. The rules here are way different than home and I could use some guidance. So please forgive me if I misunderstand something.”

            “Thank you, Marinette, any questions?” A small girl with blonde hair in the back rose her hand. “Yes Rose,”

            “Are you the Avatar?”

            “Kids, stop asking them if they’re the Avatar-”

            “Yes, I am the Avatar.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's ready to see Chat Noir in the next chapter?


	4. The Cat, The Blond, The Gala

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette eats lunch with a new friend. Chloe tries to ruin this because of reasons. Marinette is announced as the next Avatar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm alive I swear. Sorry if it's bad. I wrote this from 3-5 am.

   The rest of the day was an onslaught of questions Marinette didn’t know how to answer. She didn’t want to lie to her classmates, so she didn’t. Marinette didn’t have to tell them that she was the Avatar. She could have said nothing. But she felt like silence was a lie. Luckily Alya was there by her side the whole day, shoving them to the side. 

   This was the first time she actually did not want to be the Avatar. At home, she was just the baker's daughter. The clumsy firebender who could barely get sparks to come out of her hands. At home she was Marinette. Her classmates liked her because she was Marinette, not the one and only Avatar: Master of all elements. 

   She wouldn’t mind being something more, but the Avatar was not what she meant. 

   When the lunch bell rang, Marinette ducked through the halls, leaving Alya to her new friends. Marinette had no clue where she was going, but she hoped that wherever it was she’d be alone. 

   She didn’t recognize the hall she’d ended up in. She saw at the end of the corridor was two opaque glass doors. She looked for a moment, wondering if she’d be able to make it back into the school. Marinette grabbed the doorknob, noticing how old it was compared to how new everything else was. 

   As she opened the door, she noticed it was a garden, surrounded by the walls of the school. Marinette felt her phone buzzing, but she ignored it, looking at the flowers, shrubs, and the fountain. It was so quiet, unlike the halls of the school. She sat on the concrete bench, listening to the white noise of the water. 

   “Seems like someone found the secret garden.” A voice came from behind her.

   “Shit!” Marinette jumped, dropping her bag from her lap.

   “Sorry didn’t mean to scare you.” She turned to see Adrien. He sat down on the bench next to her. “You know it’s lunch, right?”

   “Yes, I’m _well_ aware.”

   “So…?”

   “So what?” She stared at a bird, sitting on the fountain.

   “Are you going to eat?” 

   “The lunches here are too expensive. I’ll pack my lunches when I get a chance to go to the store.”

   “That’s fair, but what are you eating today?” He asked looking at her, but she just continued to stare at the bird. “Look I’m gonna be real with you Marinette.” She looked up from the pond into his eyes. “I know that this whole celebrity thing isn’t fun.”

   “It really isn’t.” She groaned.

   “But for them, you’re a symbol.”

   “I haven’t even done anything yet.”

   “Maybe not, but just between you and me-” He instinctively looked around, finding no one but birds. “This city needs the Avatar, they’ve relied on Chat Noir for too long.”

   “I feel bad for him.”

   “What makes you say that?”

   “Well, he’s been doing my job. If I’d known-”

   “Marinette, you haven’t even known you were the Avatar for a month.”

   “ **He** should’ve been the Avatar.”

   “Marinette, don’t sell yourself low. I’m sure you’ll be great.”

   “How do you know?”

   “I don’t. But I know you’ll be better than me. Or Lila.” He laughed, breaking the seriousness. “You know that she told everyone that she was the Avatar.”

   “What?” Marinette laughed. 

   “She told me while I was doing a paper on the support of the Avatar. She told me that I could train her in earthbending.”

   “What did you tell her?”

   “I told her that as fun as that would be, we’d have to wait until she’s mastered all of the other elements.”

   “What broke the facade?”

   “When my dad told me I’m going to the Avatar ceremony, near Ba Sing Se. But she used the Avatar thing everywhere around the school.”

   “Yeah, that’s a no from me.”

   “I’m actually really glad it wasn’t her. Because then she’d probably drag me into all of that Avatar stuff.” When Adrien said this, it made her feel conflicted. She though Adrien, her once celebrity thirst poster, now friend, didn’t want to be part of what she was now suffering in.

   “I promise not to drag you in.” She stood up walking to the fountain. 

   “I didn’t mean it like that. I just don’t like being voluntold to join in things. Although, when the time comes if you’d like some help earthbending, I’m second best in the city.”

   She hid a smile. “Second? Who’s first?”

   “Chat Noir.”

   “What about the Metal Benders?”

   “They know how to bend metal, but they don’t feel it.”

   “Toph method?”

   “Better believe it. Now before I go on another tangent,” He grabbed his bag and filed through it. “You need to eat.” He pulled out sandwiches. 

   “You always pack like that?”

   “Yes, unfortunately.” He handed her a sandwich.   
   “Any particular reason?” She began to eat. 

   “Plagg!” He yelled into the bush. A black cat walked out and hopped onto the bench, rubbing against Marinette. 

   “What a cutie.” She scratched the cat’s chin and he purred. 

   “Nathalie just thinks I’m really hungry.”

   “Oh yeah, she’s apparently helping me with all this Republic City madness.”

   “She’s good at the madness.” He takes a bite of his sandwich, and hands Plagg a piece. “Speaking of madness, tonight,”

   Marinette groans. “Official Avatar stuff. I have to wear this huge dress.” She gestured with her hands to show how wide it really was. “They did fittings last week.”

   “Believe me when I say that you do not want to be honest with any of the people there.” He sighed, giving the rest of his sandwich to the cat. “They are going to try and butter you up. They want you to swear loyalty to Republic City, and as bad as that is, you have to.”

   “What do you mean swear my loyalty?”

   “It means you can’t help the revolution.”

   “But isn’t the revolution about the people?”

   “It is. Chat Noir is the “leader”. The people are hoping you’ll give them a voice.”

   “Okay, so since you have a crush on Chat Noir, I'm just going to ask you. Any reason he's so confusing?”

   “What about it is confusing?”

   “Why does he need to dress up like a furry?”

   “He’s **not** a furry.” Adrien defended, crossing his arms.

   “Also in the video, Nino showed I couldn’t see what he was fighting.”

   “It was an Akuma.”

   “Wait, like-” Marinette rubbed her eyes. “From spirit folklore?”

   “Yes. They are very real.”

   “Why doesn’t the rest of the world know about this?”

   “Take a wild guess.”

   “I cannot believe this. This is worse than Kanshi told me it would be!”

   “Kanshi?”

   “Yes, Firelord Kanshi. Nice lady.”

   “She knows it’s bad?”

   “She can’t do anything. The presidency refuses to make a move. The Northern Water Confederation is currently a mess. Southern tribe doesn’t have the resources to move on its own. The nomads want to do humanitarian work, but if they make a move Republic will declare war. It’s a mess that can’t be cleaned up from the outside.”

   “Northern Confederation?”

   “Yes. They became a democracy five years ago. Keep up.”

   “That’s why they sent you here. Not to train.” Adrien looked down at the ground and then back up to her. “But to weaken the interior.”

   “I need to train!” She paced even faster. The bell rang. Last class of the day before the gala: Science. “I cannot swear allegiance.” 

   They walked back to class, separately. Marinette went first, hoping to find her friend quick. She got into the class and was really light headed. The revelation that she was sent here to start the end of Republic City was insane. But being lightheaded she bumped into someone. She began to fall when air surrounded her. 

   “Listen. I don’t care who you are. Avatar or no, you do not get to bump into me like that.” She looked up to find a blonde girl looming over her. Her hair was actually a wig, a really convincing one at that, and it sat covering most of the blue arrow tattoo. 

   “Sorry.” She dodged to the side of her and tried to navigate her way to the classroom. When she got there, almost everyone was there. She walked to the only desk with two available seats and saw Adrien. Adrien putting chewed gum on her seat. “Adrien?” He bolted, up nearly hitting his head. 

   “I swear it isn’t what it looks like.” The airbender from earlier began laughing. 

   “Good job, sweetie!” She called to him. She frowned, looking down to the ground.

   “I’m gonna deal with this now, thanks.” She nudged him out of the way and pulled out a tissue. 

   “Go cry about it.” The blonde girl said, filing her nails as Adrien sat down in his seat, four seats down. 

   She didn’t realize Alya came in, but it became apparent once she began to yell. “Chloe, all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing.” Alya glared at the blonds.

   “Whatever, nerd.”

   “Hey, you doing okay.”

   “I’m doing great.” She got up and threw the gum away and sat down, waiting for class to start. 

 

   After class Alya and she walked to the given address. Adrien tried to stop them, but Marinette kept walking. She was not in the mood for excuses.

   They climbed the stairs of the complex and found the apartment. They unlocked the door to see they were fully moved in. Tikki ran up to them, excitedly. The door led straight to the living room with a small couch and a tiny television. A counter to the left separated the living room from the kitchen. It had a refrigerator, already full of food. Across from it was the dry food pantry, also full of food. Just to the left of the couch was a small hallway with the washing machine and dryer. On each side of the hall were bedrooms. The bathroom was on the right side, closer to Alya’s room. The best part of moving here was the lack of unpacking. 

   “Alya?”

   “Yeah?”

   “Can we start some training. I need to get my mind off of things.”

   “Is it about Adrien?”

   “It’s just,” She sighed and ran her hands through her hair. “We had lunch together. I thought we’d actually connected. I thought for a minute that he could…” She rubbed the back of her neck.

   “You like him?” She wiggled her eyebrows. 

   “Not like that. But I thought he’d make a great earthbending teacher. He knows Toph method.”

   “I’m sorry girl. I thought that Chloe would make a good air teacher, but it’s clear that won’t be happening. Not over my dead body. But Nino would still be a great water teacher!”

   “Let’s worry about fire for now.”

   “Right on. First thing you need to know is air.”

   “Air?”

   “Fire is controlled by your air, not muscle.” She motioned for her to step back. “Hold your hands out, like your holding a baby chick.”

   “I’ve never seen this move.”

   “That’s because it isn’t a move. It’s a start.” Alya explained. “Now the fire is also passion. For now, let’s make it good passion. Think about something you love.”

   Marinette stared into her hands. She thought about her family, a tiny spark erupted from her palm. “Doing good! Good start.” She started to think about how much she missed her mom’s quiche. It got bigger. “Good job!” She thought about how alone she was. How little she has. “Marinette?” She thought about how she was lured here under false pretenses. Her hands were hot. She thought about Adrien. “Marinette!” Alya snapped her out of her trance. The flame stopped. 

   “Sorry,”

   “You have too much on your mind to do this now. Although, I have a feeling you’re going to do great!” Alya smiled almost as bright as the sun. 

   “You really think so?”

   “I really know so! You’ll be almost as good as me by the time we’re done.” 

 

   Time flew by quickly and they were picked up by Nathalie. The ride there was full of silence. Once they arrived to the Agreste Mansion they were shoved into a dressing room. They tossed Marinette two dresses to choose from: a long pink gown and a knee length red polka dot dress. 

   When she walked out in the polka dotted dress, Alya in a long orange gown. “No fair, they gave you a cool dress?”

   “They gave me two options. This or a pink gown. I liked the polka dots more.”

   “Two? Options? Didn’t they fit you for this dress last week?” Now that Alya had said it, it was a bit weird. Two men came in and took them to the hair station. 

   “Miss Dupain-Cheng, where did you find this?” The taller man asked in reference to the dress. Marinette liked that she could walk in her outfit, hell she could probably do anything in this dress.

   “In the dressing room.”

   As they walked into the salon, the men waiting looked confused. They gave Alya’s hair a light curl. The man gave Marinette a relaxed bun. 

   “Marinette, I love this dress. But weren’t you supposed to wear the gown?”

   “Don’t ask me. I found it in the dressing room.”

   “I’m not complaining. You look good!” He encouraged. 

 

   In the ballroom, tables upon tables of people waited. The Avatar and her companion would be sitting up front with the Agreste party and would meet people after the dinner. Everyone was excited to see that this Avatar would be seeing things from their point of view. 

   Meanwhile, Adrien was anxious as hell. The misunderstanding in class was driving him insane. Chloe had put gum on the chair hoping she wouldn’t see it and sit in it. Although Adrien had been friends with the girl since age three, he never knew what to tell people. All he was trying to do was clean up the gum. He really did feel bad, and when Alya had scolded him he’d never felt worse about himself. So he decided to do something nice, and take one of the more comfortable looking dresses out of the concept pile and put it in the dressing room for her. It was more of a party dress, but he thought she’d look fine in it. Of course, he left the other one in, just in case she hated it. Although he was confident she’d like it, it had pockets. Maybe he’d get a dance with her, and he could explain then. 

   “Now introducing,” Gabriel Agreste’s voice rang out as the lights went out and a spotlight went to a girl in a red polka dot dress, long black silk gloves, and crystal blue eyes. “The next Avatar, Marinette Dupain-Cheng!” She walked down the stairs down to Gabriel Agreste, who walked down and sat down next to his son. “Where is the gown?” He asked Nathalie sitting on his other side. 

   “People of Republic City,” She began, knowing she only had to say a few words, but knowing these words would be remembered for generations to come. “I come here not to train, but to learn.” She took a shaky breath. “I’ve come to train and learn how to be the best Avatar I can be **for the people**.” She hesitated for a moment before looking forward and seeing Adrien and Alya, her seat separating them. Passion. “That’s why I’m going to team up with local vigilante, Chat Noir, and we’re going to solve this Akkuma problem.” Her confidence grew as she saw a camera filming. “I’m going to master all four elements, and then we’re going to fix this.”

   “No matter how long it takes, I will put Republic City back together. They will no longer fear everyday tasks in worry they will be possessed. Let me make this promise to you, citizens everywhere. Chat Noir and I will protect you from whatever harm comes our way. So,” She looks into the camera, and people watching the live broadcast are freaking out. “Are you ready to take the leap for a better world?” 

   The back half of the building went wild after she finished, while the front was mostly silent in shock. Everyone watching from home, including Marinette’s family, were ecstatic. Adrien and Alya started the standing ovation. 

   “That’s my girl!” Alya yelled excitedly. Gabriel Agreste walked back up to the podium.

   In this exact moment, Adrien realized how _absolutely fucked_ he was.

   “Thank you for that moving speech, Avatar Marinette. Now for the dance portion of the gala.” Marinette walked down to her seat and grabbed a roll and immediately stuffed it in her face.

   “You did great, girl! That was super dope!” Alya congratulated. She swallowed the roll, looking at Alya.

   “I did the one thing I wasn’t supposed to.”

   “Be badass?”

   “Mention Chat Noir, the revolution, or changing Republic City in any way.”

   “Avatar Marinette,” A big bald man interrupted. “May I have this dance?”

   “Sure thing,” She smiled, taking his hand. As the song began, she realized this was not going to be fun.

   “Not going to lie, that speech scared me a bit.”

   “How so?”

   “I rather like this Republic City.”

   “I meant changing it to be the best possible version. One without people destroying buildings.”

   “Oh thank spirits. I thought you were talking about the revolution. When you mentioned Chat Noir, I got worried.”

   “Pardon my manners, I never caught your name?”

   “Andre Bourgeois. President.”

   “It’s a pleasure meeting you.”

   “As it is you. I’m sure you met my daughter, Chloe.”

   “She’s such a sweet girl, wouldn’t you say?”

   “I’d say…”

   The song ended and she was practically dropped. “Sorry, I have other business to attend to.”

   “Hey, Marinette?” Adrien’s voice asked from behind her. “I’d just like to apologize for earlier.” She honest to god didn’t expect that. “It was a misunderstanding, and the rest of the class could vouch for me. I was just trying to clean the gum off of your chair, but it was really stuck.” He rubbed the back of his neck. Marinette blushed. “So again, sorry. I really did enjoy lunch earlier, and wouldn’t mind sharing my spot with you or Alya.” He was red and looked like he was ready to cry. “I’m really, really, sorry.”

   “Adrien, it’s okay.” She put her hand on his shoulder. “I believe you.” 

   “Cool, please don’t tell anyone about my baby.”

   “Who would I tell? Alya? She’s allergic to cats.”

   “Not fun.”

   “No. I do have a question for you though,”

   “Yes?”

   “Could I have the next dance? Not this one because I’m really hungry. But, the next one would be good.”

  
  


   The rest of the night went surprisingly well. She met tons of people, got to eat, dance with Adrien, and watch Alya ‘secretly’ film the whole thing. Plus she got to keep the dress. She still had no answers on where it came from. 

   Before Marinette went to bed, she walked out to her little balcony. She looked to the stars and thought about how much worse that could have gone.

   “So we’re partners?” A masked blond boy asked, upside down. 

   “Oh cats!” She nearly fell over. “I should’ve known you’d show up here.”

   “Well you basically called me over with that speech~”

   “You’re a lot flirtier than I imagined.”

   “You never answered the question.”

   “I don’t even know you.”

   “You said we’d do this together.”

   “And we can. But can we do it tomorrow?” She yawned. “I just had the most stressful day of my life.

   “Okay, m’lady, but then we have work to do.”

   “Can I ask you one thing, Chat?”

   “Anything _Purr-incess_?”

   “Never call me any of those names again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It may be a while before I post again as I'm about to go undergo some serious medical stuff. I'll still be writing when I can, but it will be at least sometime in July before I'll post again. Thanks for hanging in with me!


	5. The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette meets her past lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry. :(

“I mean, did you really think we’d have the same schedule for the rest of the year?”  
“That’s how it started.”  
“That’s not how school works. That was to get us used to the halls.” Alya explained. “Plus we have homeroom and training together.”  
“I guess…”  
“Just think of it this way,” Alya put her arm around the small girl’s shoulder. “We can spend the rest of the day together at the apartment. You can make me ramen. Once you master fire and water bending.”  
“Can’t wait until you force me into making you food.”  
“Ouch, can you turn the heat on that sarcasm down, because right now it’s scalding.”  
Marinette turned the paper over in her hands. It read, A Day: Eight- Homeroom. Nine thirty- History. Eleven-home ec. Twelve thirty- Lunch. One thirty- Physical Arts (training). B Day: Eight- Homeroom. Nine thirty- Essential Sciences. Eleven- Maths. Twelve thirty- Lunch. One thirty-Physical Arts (again).  
“Hey,” Alya leaned down to Marinette. “If you could handle giving that speech in front of the entire world, you can manage school.” Alya smiled.  
“I guess you’re right.”  
“Always am. But if you don’t want to be late for homeroom, I’d get a going.”  
Marinette and Alya walked to their class together, and then parted to go to their seats, looking for gum on her seat. Clear for today.   
“Class it has come to my attention that we’ve had some seating issues, so I’ll be assigning the seats from this point forward.” The teacher announced as the bell rang. “Everyone up!” She yelled. They all lined up by the wall.   
“Is this about yesterday?” Marinette leaned to Adrien, who nodded.   
“This happens semi frequently.”  
“Alright. I spent all night doing this so everyone would be happy. I wanted everyone to work and have their talents emphasized by where you are at.” She explained. “So row one. Table one we have Ty and Mylene. Table two Alix and Kyle, three Dan and Korraline…” She continued.   
“Is this boy-girl?” Marinette asked Adrien in a hushed whisper.   
“Almost always is. She talks about strategy, but everyone agrees that she puts who she thinks like each other next to each other.”  
“Row two. Table one, Adrien and Marinette.” Marinette shuffled over to her desk, embarrassed. Alya was silently wheezing on the other side of the room. Adrien remained red the rest of the class period. 

The rest of the class went by really quick. She barely said a word to Adrien until class got out. When it did she gave a fast farewell and promptly went to her next class down the hall, history.  
“Miss Dupain-Cheng! I saw your speech on TV! You will love today’s lesson. We’re talking about the founding of Republic City and having a debate on Avatar political power.”  
In Marinette’s mind she thought that this was indeed not a fun idea. She didn’t like people talking about Avatar stuff in front of her like that. She knew that it was an interesting debate, but it just felt weird to talk about her past lives like that.   
“Sounds great!” She lied.   
“We talk about one Avatar in depth bi-weekly. We’ve discussed Yangchen, Kuruk, Kyoshi, and Roku. But we haven’t started on Aang, Korra, or Fu yet. If you have anything you’d like to add in any of our Avatar sections, let me know.”  
“I haven’t had any contact with any of them yet, sorry.” She started.  
“That’s alright, oh,” He laughed a little. “Excuse my bad manners. I know you’ve seen my name on the card, but I’m Mr. Louis. You’ll be sitting on the second row with Kagami.”  
“Thank you!” She turned around and saw her seat and the girl next to her. They looked very alike. She walked up there and held out her hand to her.  
“Hi, I’m Marinette.” She introduced.  
“Hello Marinette, I'm Kagami Tsurgi.”  
“Cool! It’s nice to get acquainted with you.” She sat down nervously.  
“I promise I don’t bite.” Kagami smirked.  
“Just a little nervous, being on my own and all that.”  
“Don’t be.”  
The class started. Everytime someone mentioned Aang, her eyebrows twitched just a bit. She want quite sure why.  
“What do you say, Marinette?”  
“About which thing?”  
“Next time pay attention, Miss Dupain-Cheng. What do you think of the argument that Aang and his friends stole land from the Earth Kingdom to make a city of equality?   
“I think it’s wrong and misinformed. This whole debacle was started by a tyrant. Queen Hou-Ting used this idea as propaganda. The Earth king at the time of the deal was also apart of the Republic City Development. He donated the land to the cause of reformation after a long war. Hou-Ting just wanted more.”  
“Very good. Now…” Marinette couldn’t help but zone out. She already knew about all of Aang’s era. She kinda wished she knew how to talk to her past lives. The rest of the class period felt blurry, so she was grateful when the bell rang. Home Ec unfortunately wasn’t much better.   
“Hey, you doing okay?” Adrien asked next to her.  
“Feeling weird. Migraine? I think I need to leave for a minute.” Her head was pounding.   
“Miss Gustaeve? May I escort Marinette to the nurses’ office?”  
“Yes, but be quick Mr. Agreste,”  
She stood up, Adrien shortly following her and exited the room.   
“The nurses office is this way, Mari,” He pointed the opposite direction.  
“No. I need the garden.”  
“The garden? I thought you weren’t feeling well.”  
“I’m not. Please trust me on this.”  
“If you’re sure…”   
She grabbed his hand and pulled him through hallways, he could barely get his feet to the ground. “I think someone is calling me.”  
“Are you okay?”  
“I don’t know, one way to find out.” She opened the door to the garden still not letting go of Adrien’s hand. “I think we’re about to witness an Avatar thing.”  
At the moment, all Adrien could think about was the fact that she was still holding his hand, and dragged him out of class to the most isolated place in the school other than the janitors closet.   
She realized she was still holding onto him and let go. She sat down on the concrete next to the fountain. Adrien sat opposite of her. She crossed her legs held her hands in a prayer position. She closed her eyes. Adrien watched as almost immediately as her eyes began to glow.   
“Is this…?”  
‘Hello?’ She asked the void.  
‘Hi.’ A man’s voice answered. ‘Been a long time,’ An old man wearing a floral shirt appeared from nowhere. ‘Good to see you again, Marinette.’ He started.  
‘Avatar Fu? I don’t believe I’ve met you.’  
‘We used to play together when you were little.’  
‘What? But you’re dead?’  
‘I was confused on how you did it, but you were able to go into the Avatar state at age three, Marinette.’  
‘Is that how they knew it was me?’  
‘That among other things.’  
‘You called me here?’  
‘Well yes and no. Ravva called you here. She also called me.’  
‘But why?’  
‘I don’t know, but I think you know.’  
‘I’m confused. Republic City is bad. Really bad. Akkumas are real.’  
‘We knew they were real.’ An older woman’s voice rang. ‘The question was how to find them.'' An older woman walked out. ‘We can feel them, we just can’t get to them.’  
‘Not even in the spirit world?’ Marinette asked.  
‘I looked for years. Even the spirits didn’t know how to reach them.’  
‘Somebody knows. And I haven’t seen one yet, but I had a dream the night it started.’  
‘How?’ Fu asked.  
‘I don’t know. Clearly I can feel the energy too. But Korra,’ She looked at the old woman. ‘Your city is corrupt. The government won’t help them. I don’t know how to help them.’  
‘You can’t keep an Akkuma captive for long. You must purify it or it will escape and multiply.’  
‘How do I purify it?’  
‘An Akkuma is a spirit. It’s like a spirit of a spirit if that makes sense.’  
‘Okay?’  
‘So you must purify it like any other spirit. It’s a complex waterbending move.’  
‘I still haven’t mastered fire or air.’ She panicked.  
‘Marinette, I don’t want to pressure you or scare you,’ Fu started. ‘But your journey is going to be a hard one. Remember Avatar Aang as you go through your training. He will be your guide.’  
‘But wasn’t he, along with all the other past Avatars lost?’  
‘Not lost. Hidden.’  
‘What do I do?’  
‘Bye.’  
She opened her eyes to see Adrien investigating her. “What are you doing?”  
“Nothing!” He bolted up. “So what happened in there?”  
“I know how to defeat an Akkuma. I need to talk to Chat Noir again.” She sighed.  
“You talked to him?” He asked excitedly.   
“Yeah, he just showed up on my balcony and was weird. I told him we could talk the next night, but he just didn’t show up.”  
“He’s probably doing important things.”  
“I guess. But I need to have an actual conversation with him that isn’t at midnight.”  
“So how do you defeat them?”  
“I purify the villian with a complex water bending move.”  
“But you don’t-”  
“I know. I’ll figure it out. I also have to find a way to talk to Aang, but I think this takes precedent.”  
“For sure, those baddies can’t be held for long before they burst out of confinement.”  
“All I know is that I need to get training.”

Once the bell rang for lunch, Marinette immediately rushed back down to the garden and sat by the fountain. She took slow and easy breaths. “Just like in movers,” She whispered to herself, kneeling right next to the water. She moved her hands back and forth gently, concentrating. She sat trying to push the water, just a little bit.  
“What are you doing, Marinette?”   
“Spirits!” She flailed and fell backward onto the ground looking at Adrien standing over her. “You really do need a bell.”  
“So I’ve been told. So, trying your hand at water bending?”  
“Trying, but not succeeding.”  
“You got a few splashes when you fell.”  
“Did I now, or are you trying to flatter my ego?”  
“Look, if you’d like I could give you a tip. Find someone who knows about water bending.”  
“Thanks for your expertise.” She said sarcastically getting up.  
“Anytime.”  
Big red flashing lights emerged from the walls. Loud sirens rang through the garden.   
“THIS IS NOT A DRILL,” A woman’s voice yelled through the intercom. “GET INSIDE AND OUT OF SIGHT. AKKUMA IS NEARBY.”  
Adrien grabbed Marinette’s hand and bee lined for the door. She wouldn’t move a muscle.   
“I need to be out there.”  
“You’re not ready!”  
“Maybe not, but I need to do what I can. It’s my job.” Adrien looked at her up and down and sighed.   
“Promise not to get into any trouble?” Marinette smiled. The door to the garden shut completely with a metal protector so no one could enter or exit. A metal sheet covered the top of the garden.   
“Thanks, could you possibly get me out of here?”  
Adrien stomped down on the ground, and the earth shook as they shot up, nearing the metal ceiling of the school. He pushed his arms to side as if he was just opening curtains, the roof split in two. Marinette jumped up onto the roof.  
“Get to safety, don’t do anything stupid.” She ran onto the roof and jumped. She landed in a bush, and after quickly sorting herself out, she ran back to the apartment to get Tikki. In the few moments she had, she had to think of a game plan. What could she do about this? Marinette realized she could either a) go in without a plan and hope things work out or, b) let Chat Noir figure this out on his own or, c) find tools to make her almost as powerful as a fully realized Avatar.  
She climbed the stairs of the fire escape and opened her window. “Tikki, come here, girl!” The lion stood up and walked over. She was already almost full size. “We need to go and help.” Tikki walked out of the window, with only a little bit of struggle, as her big red fur got caught on everything.   
She saddled the lynx. “Alright, we need to go over to the Akkuma.” The lynx didn’t move a muscle. “Tikki, let’s go!” Still nothing. That’s when she remembered that Spirit Guides have a command phrase. “Tikki, let’s hightail it,” she sighed “Tikki, runoff. Move along.” Nothing. “Set off, hit the road, get away, flee, exit,” Marinette was going down the list in her head, and in hindsight she probably should have tried to figure this out earlier. “Set off, bug out-” Tikki began to run.   
“Bug out, Tikki!” Marinette gripped the red fur and held on. The lion ran up the stairs and up to the roof. Tikki leaped off of the roof as Marinette screamed for her life. They landed on the roof of the next building. Tikki continued to navigate the city from above, when she saw him.   
Chat Noir, a blonde with ruly blond hair, a black mask, a metal staff, leather outfit, and cat ears was trying to fight off what appeared to be a girl. She couldn’t have been any older than her. But something was wrong. Her face had a purple outline around it, shaped like a butterfly. She wore a dark purple dress and her hair was striped black and white. She was levitating.  
“Maybe you were able to put Stoneheart in a box, but you can’t trap me!” She yelled, pointing her umbrella towards Chat Noir. Tikki jumped off the building, landing about fifty feet from Chat Noir.  
“Maybe we can’t trap you, but we sure can beat you.” Marinette said confidently.   
“Avatar! It’s not safe for you.”  
“I meant what I said. I’m not going to sit back and watch if I can help.”  
“How cute. A small little bug and kitty cat trying to save the city.” Her eyes went dark and only the girl could hear a man’s voice talk to her.  
‘Trap the Avatar while she has no power. Bring her to me, my Akkuma.’  
“Now do you want to make this a fight, or will you surrender?” The girl spoke.  
“Surrender? That wasn’t an option last time.”  
“Hawkmoth is feeling generous today.”  
“Hawkmoth?” They both asked confused.  
“If the girl comes with me to my boss, I get to keep my newfound powers. And I won’t hurt anyone.”  
“What does your boss want with me?” Marinette asked.  
A purple glow flashed across the victim’s face. They could hear a whisper, but couldn’t make anything of it.   
“He wants you.”  
“That’s a no from me.” Chat Noir crossed his arms and shook his head.  
“Yeah well, it’s not up to you. She either goes, or I take her myself.”  
“I’d like to see you try.” Chat Noir started to run towards to girl, baton in hand. She immediately zapped him with lightning, making him fall to the ground.  
“Chat!” She ran towards him.   
“Little bug doesn’t know what to do without her kitty! How pathetic. Save everyone the time by coming with me now.” Marinette stared at the boy.   
“What did you just do to this boy?” She asked, slowly standing up. Tears were streaming down her face.   
“I did what I needed to do.” The girl responded.  
“You may be able to control the weather or some shit-”  
“It’s in my name. I’m Stormy-”  
“But you’re the one who’s got a big storm coming.”   
Marinette eyes went white, she began to levitate.   
“You pissed off the wrong ‘little bug’.” Tears still streaming down her face, she held her arms out, fire blasting out of her fingertips.   
“Hawkmoth, you said she wasn’t trained.” StormyWeather said worriedly. “But she’s in the freaking Avatar state!” She yelled dodging the fire narrowly.   
“She isn’t trained.” A man with a low voice echoed into her ear.   
Marinette, now surrounded by an orb of wind, was picking up boulders and chucking them.  
“You hurt my friend, you torment a city, you dress disastrously, and all for what? The weather?” She yelled to the kid who was trying her best to just dodge the girl’s attacks.   
At that moment, the original akkuma, StoneHeart broke   
Chat Noir laying on the ground, knowing that he couldn’t interfere from this point forward in the battle, or she’d come out of the avatar state, thanked himself for learning how to properly redirect a lightning attack. Although he hadn't quite done it properly, so it had stung a bit.  
Marinette however was leading Stormy Weather right into a trap, by moving her towards the river. She was also somewhat aware of how much damage to the city they’ve caused.   
As they approached the river, Marinette with all the passion in her soul pushed the water up, swirling around the girl.   
“What- What are you doing? You think some water will trap me?” She laughed.  
The water lit up, and the girl began to scream as black butterflies came out of her mouth. The Butterflies tried to fly out of the water, but the second they touched the liquid they turned white.   
“No more evil doing for you, little akkuma!”  
The water went down, and the girl was released, now back to normal.   
“Where am I?”  
Marinette closed her eyes and collapsed to the ground, and was luckily caught by a certain Chat.  
“Marinette? Are you okay?” He asked nervously.  
“Chat Noir?” She slowly rubbed her eyes.  
The boy just stared at her, not knowing how to start. “Yes?”  
“Can you help me back to school?”  
“Sure thing m’lady,”  
“Would you please stop calling me that!”

**Author's Note:**

> Very short chapter. Next one will be really soon as I'm just editing. I hope that everyone is ready for the journey of lifetime with this fic. I have a lot of plans for this, and I hope that you're just as excited as I am for this. I'm making a schedule so everyone knows when chapters are coming out. The rating and the tags may change a bit.


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